ICONIC CONTRIBUTION

Inventor of Frozen Burrito Dead at 88

The millionaire died peacefully in his sleep.

Duane Roberts, credited with inventing the first frozen burrito, passed away at the age of 88 on Saturday, TMZ reported. The millionaire businessman died peacefully in his sleep. His wife, Kelly J. Roberts, remembered him as “a visionary entrepreneur, devoted husband, and a man whose heart and generosity forever shaped our family and community.” Roberts began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 19, realizing that fast food would become a staple of the American diet while working at Butcher Boy Food Products. He went on to invent the first frozen burrito in 1956, became president of Butcher Boy, and expanded the business from a single plant with 60 workers to six plants employing 1,400 people. “With all of my various businesses, there is no way to resolve every challenge each day; it’s like being on a treadmill. But that’s what keeps you full of life,” Roberts said of his life’s work. His stepchildren are Doug Reinhardt and Casey Beau Brown, who both appeared on the reality TV series The Hills. “Together, we built a beautiful life working side by side," Roberts’s wife said in a statement, adding that he was an incredible husband, stepfather, and loving grandfather.